The field of the present invention is cleaning, smoothing and finishing devices and the methods for their construction.
Abrasive materials are used in many different ways as cleaning agents. A common method of utilizing abrasive materials as a cleaning aid is by surrounding an absorbent core with the abrasive material. This device is commonly known as a scouring or cleaning pad. The typical cleaning pad is formed by knitting a sleeve or sack from an abrasive fiber such as plastic or metal or a combination of the two. A sponge core is then inserted into the knitted sack, and the open end or ends of the sleeve or sack are closed by stitching or heat sealing. As currently manufactured, the durability and efficiency of the cleaning pad during use are reduced by the lack of close contact between the sponge core and the sack and because the sponge core tends to pull away from the perimeter of the sack bunching up in one part of the sack. The asymmetrical position of the sponge core within the sack causes excessive and localized wear of the sack and distortion of the sponge core Further, the cleaning pads currently available have the same coarse material on the entire outer surface of the cleaning pad. Therefore, the cleaning pad has only one degree of abrasiveness and is abrasive not only to the object on which it is being used but also on the hands and fingers of the user.
Though cleaning pads have been used and manufactured for many years, the current cleaning pad fabrication process suffers from inefficiencies. Even though cleaning pads are consumed in large quantities, they are fabricated one at a time, and the fabrication process includes automated steps. For example, the sponge cores are inserted by hand, and the cleaning pad may be inserted by hand into the stitching or heat sealing apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION